


until you cross the finish line

by gaykagome



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Complete, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, M/M, Miscommunication, Sports, delinquent!inuyasha, eboy!inuyasha, inuyasha is emo and kouga is a jock, jock!kouga, they're dumb, theyre cute but they're simple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaykagome/pseuds/gaykagome
Summary: High school track star Kouga is good at a lot of things: talking to his e-boy crush Inuyasha without putting his foot in his mouth is not one of those things.A gift for tumblr user inukouga's delinquent eboy Inuyasha & jock Kouga AU! Also a piece for InuKog day for Inuyasha Pride Month 2020!
Relationships: Ayame/Higurashi Kagome, Ginta/Hakkaku (InuYasha), InuYasha/Kouga (InuYasha)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 83





	until you cross the finish line

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starfaes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starfaes/gifts).



> Beta reading testimonials:  
> “kouga. is a homosexual.”—Tumblr user lesdienne, close friend, ally to dumbass gays, only knowledge of inuyasha forced upon her by gay weeb friends  
> “VERY big homosexual vibes.” —ibid
> 
> here is a fic based on tumblr user inukouga’s delinquent/e-boy!inuyasha and jock!kouga <3 happy InuKog day and thanks for being such an awesome co-moderator for Inuyasha Pride Month!
> 
> disclaimers:
> 
> This meal consists almost entirely of emdashes, semicolons, and colons, so if you’re allergic reconsider reading this
> 
> The second half was written in a fever dream state and has not been beta’d despite the misleading advertising above
> 
> I don’t know anything about high school sports i did musicals please don’t expect accuracy. suspend your disbelief i refuse to learn anything about sports

“Kouga? Kouuuugaaa.” Ginta called from a few yards away. Kouga stood in the middle of the court, hands in position to catch the basketball, but his head was turned a full 90 degrees away.

“Yeah, that’s crazy.” Kouga murmured, responding to a conversation topic at least 5 minutes old. 

Hakkaku straightened and placed the basketball under his arm and his other hand on his hip. “Wanna go rock climb, Ginta? Kouga’s useless as long as _that’s_ going on.”

Kouga’s attention sliced through the rowdy sea of red and white uniforms playing various games to the pair sitting against the bleachers. There sat the guy clad in an oversized black hoodie, baggy pants, and doc martens. His eyes glazed over with boredom fixed on a blank spot on the wall, while class president Kagome Higurashi sat behind him and braided his silver ponytail. 

The gym teacher had long since stopped trying to fight Inuyasha on wearing the uniform. Or participating in sports at all. He’d walked the required mile run enough times to wear out the much exasperated coach. 

Plus, the tenacious Kagome Higurashi was glued to his hip. That meant he was at every school sponsored event as a volunteer (even if only in the loosest definition of the term). 

Kagome chatted merrily while running her fingers through Inuyasha’s long white hair, and Kouga couldn’t help but moon over the action in envy. 

Ginta sighed to Hakkaku, “Sure. Might as well.” He tapped the track star on the shoulder, breaking Kouga’s tunnel vision. 

“Huh? Where you guys goin’?” asked Kouga when Hakkaku dropped the basketball for the next group waiting to play.

Ginta crossed his arms over his chest. “Dude, just go talk to him. He looks bored as fuck anyway.” 

Kouga balked like he’d just gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar, “Who? What are you guys yammering on about?”

Hakkaku sidled up to his boyfriend Ginta and rested his elbow on his shoulder. “Kagome’s your partner for that group project right? Just go up to her and ask some question about it then turn and say, ‘ _Hi Inuyasha_ ’ and boom. Wedding.” 

As Kouga stammered the deeper red his cheeks grew, “It’s not that simple!”

“But, like, it really is.”

“So, you guys want me to just, walk up to them and just start talking?” Kouga exclaimed incredulously.

“Yeah. You know: like a person.” Ginta said, turning himself and Hakkaku toward the rock wall on the far side of the gym.

“We believe in you!” Hakkaku called over his shoulder as Kouga stood, hand outstretched after them. 

“Since when is Kouga this scared of a crush?” He murmured to Ginta once they were in the thicket of students pretending to look busy.

“Since his crush was as scary as Inuyasha. The guy looks like he held up a Hot Topic at gunpoint.” 

The frozen athlete in the flurry of students straightened his posture. “Whew. Ok. It’s easy.” He went to his knee to retie his shoe. “Piece of cake.” He switched feet and retied the other shoe. He rose and set his steely blue gaze on the pair at the bleachers.

“Seriously Inuyasha, what do you use on your hair? I’m so jealous.” Kagome Higurashi clucked her tongue as she ran her manicured fingernails through his ponytail. “It’s so silky.” 

“Keh, I told ya.” Bubblegum pop. “I just don’t wash it.” 

Kagome scanned the gym absentmindedly and detected a lone wolf in the crowd, making a beeline for them. 

“Hey Kouga!” She called once he was a few yards away. 

The bubble gum blowing stopped abruptly. 

Kouga’s face broke out in his bright, signature grin, “Hey there Kagome! What are you guys doing here all by yourselves?” 

Kagome shrugged without releasing Inuyasha’s hair. “Just hanging out.”

“Cool, cool.” The athlete nodded, shoving his hands into his gym short pockets. After a _very_ casual exhale he glanced down at the boy sitting between the class president’s knees. “Hey Inuyasha.”

Bubblegum resumed popping. Golden eyes peaked up under devilishly long lashes, full of boredom. He threw up two black nail painted fingers up in a peace sign, then returned to staring at the far wall.  
  


Conspicuous gulp. “So, eh Kagome. I had a question about that project on the Sengoku Jidai.” 

As the self appointed group leader, Kagome perked up. “Sure! Shoot.” 

_Fuck_ . Inuyasha’s eyelashes were so pretty. No guy had a right to have eyelashes as long as those. That cut in Inuyasha’s left eyebrow fascinated him, and getting to see it so up close? _Nice_. Was that from a scar or did he shave it like that? 

Inuyasha’s earrings jingled in irritation when he turned his face back up at the school’s golden boy. Kouga shrank under the direct bored gaze and realized, _oh shit I’ve been staring right at him_. 

“Got a staring problem, pretty boy?” He rested his chin on the back of his hand and cocked that enchanting brow. _Enchanting_ ? _Reading_ Wuthering Heights _for class is really getting to me_. 

“Oh hush.” Kagome kneed the back of his head. “Excuse my colleague. You had a question?”

_That was an insult, right? Does he think I’m pretty?_

“...You know, we should just make a groupchat for the project.” Kagome mercifully interjected after she noticed Kouga’s prolonged silence. She looked down at her shorts and groaned, “Ugh, my phone’s in my locker. Yasha,” She demanded, shoving her hand in front of him. “Gimme your phone.”

Inuyasha froze for half a second before obeying, pulling his phone with a severely cracked screen out of the pocket of his chain adorned pants. He slapped it into Kagome’s hand, then buried his chin on his arms crossed over his knees. 

Kagome entered Inuyasha’s passcode and handed the phone to Kouga. “Just put your number in his phone and he’ll text it to me.” 

His hands shook like he was holding a sacred jewel. Or a bomb. The cute charms dangling from his phone case tickled the back of Kouga’s hand.

Inuyasha’s wallpaper was every bit the goth aesthetic Inuyasha exuded, Kouga noted once tou looked past all the cracks in the glass. Each buzz from the touchscreen under Kouga’s fingertips as he typed in his full name and “(from gym class)” in a new contact felt like tremors. 

“Cool, thanks.” Kouga muttered, handing the phone to Kagome. She dropped the phone back in Inuyasha’s lap. “What’s your group project on, Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha looked up fully this time, and leaned back into Kagome. He rested his elbows on her knees leisurely, and tilted his head to the side. 

Inuyasha was silent, except for the chewing. Blowing up a bubble of gum. Break; release. Inuyasha took his time licking the deflated gum bubble from his chin back into his mouth.

“The Tokugawa Shogunate.” He answered with no inflection.

“Ah. That’s cool!” 

“No, it ain’t.”

“Okay.” Kouga replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Was it getting hotter in the gym somehow?

Kagome looked like she was watching a car crash. 

“If you need any help, uh,” _What now, genius_ ? _Are you an expert on the Tokugawa Shogunate_? “I heard the library has extended hours this week for midterms.”

Inuyasha looked like he would spit if he wasn’t on his last stick of gum. “You calling me stupid, meathead?” 

_Ok yeah, that one was an insult for sure_. “No, of course not! I just meant, um…”

Kagome put him out of his misery, “Kouga didn’t mean it like that, Inuyasha. He’s just trying to help.”

“Keh.” Inuyasha closed his darkly lined eyes and rested his head against Kagome’s stomach. “Why don’t ya go ask someone who wants it?”

“Wait, I really didn’t mean it like that.” 

The sound of the whistle sliced the air between them, and Kouga wanted to thank God.

Kagome rose and turned to Kouga with a look very close to sympathy, but more embarrassed. “I’ll text you, ‘kay?”

Kouga nodded numbly. Inuyasha lounged against the bleachers with his arms behind his head with eyes closed. He opened one to eye Kouga. 

“Sure! Bye.” Kouga waved at both of them, and went to jog to the locker room. The fact that it turned into a sprint was entirely coincidental.   
  


Hakkaku leaned on a nearby locker just as Kouga was unburying his head from his. “We saw a lot of interesting things happening! Looks like there was some talking.” Hakkaku raised his eyebrows.

Ginta smirked from his seat on the bench. “Did we also see you holding Inu-freaking-yasha’s _phone_ at one point?”

Kouga ran his hand down his face to hide his blush. “Yep! You guys were right. It went great.” He closed the locker and briskly left the locker room, leaving the two boys to exchange very ‘yikes’d expressions. 

* * *

Kouga carded his fingers through his bangs in frustration, willing the numbers in the textbook to make sense. 

Although it was lunchtime and everyone else was in the cafeteria, Kouga had left the track team table to study for his math test next period. The sunlight and fresh air would have been enjoyable if Kouga wasn’t so worried about failing. 

The crunch of footsteps signaled someone walking around the corner near the bench, and Kouga groaned at the thought of some teacher catching him outside unauthorized. 

Instead, Inuyasha stood at the corner, cigarette between two fingers and lighter in the other hand. Inuyasha froze mid step when he saw Kouga sitting on the bench. His expression was vulnerable for a second before his eyelids slid halfway shut and he regained his usual bored expression.

Kouga thought it was pretty cute, if not totally unexpected.

“What are you doing here?” Kouga asked, dumbly.

Inuyasha sneered. “This is my smoke spot, I got every right to be here.”

_Oh, right._ “Yeah, sure.” He fake chuckled to try to lighten the mood, “Duh.”

To Kouga’s shock, instead of walking away with some snide remark, Inuyasha took a seat next to him. Kouga watched him ignite his lighter with an upside down cross design, and light up his cigarette. 

Kouga tried to focus back on his textbook, but holy shit Inuyasha was sitting next to him. No Kagome around, no class going on, just them two and the sunshine. 

But he’d said it himself, it was his smoke spot. Inuyasha was hardly the type of guy to give up his spot just because someone was in it. 

Kouga should really _focus_ , he berated himself, _the test_. He looked down at his notes, and found he could barely even understand what he’d written. He let out a frustrated growl and buried his head in his hands.

After a long drag of his cigarette, Inuyasha exhaled the smoke between Kouga’s face and the textbook. “What’s your damage?” 

Kouga’s head shot up, floored he was even talking to him. “I have that calculus test next period and I’m trying to study.” He rolled his neck, trying to relief some tension. “But it’s pointless. I guess I’m just stupid.” Kouga grumbled.

Inuyasha snorted, “How could _you_ be stupid? Aren’t you at the top of the class?” 

Kouga blushed. He didn’t realize he even knew something like that. “I am. But I just don’t get _this_.” 

Inuyasha put his lighter in his combat boot, and took out a mechanical pencil from his hair; Kouga stopped breathing when Inuyasha leaned over his shoulder to look at the textbook. He snatched Kouga’s notebook from his hand, reading over the chicken scratch. 

After a minute, Inuyasha ashed his cigarette with a smirk. “You’ve got the first part of the problem right, but see this?” Inuyasha pointed at the page. “This is where you’re going wrong. It’s easy, look.” Inuyasha started writing in Kouga’s notebook in his own different chicken scratch. As Kouga listened he admired their handwriting intermingled, both hardly legible but in different ways. 

Although Kouga was grateful for Inuyasha’s help, he could barely hear him above the roar of blood in his ears. Inuyasha was _helping_ him with math. 

“Wait, so I’ve been making it more complicated than it is this whole damn time?” Kouga almost shouted. 

Inuyasha handed the notebook back, leaning back on the bench and throwing his foot over his knee. “ _Duh_. Just chill out, you’ll do fine.”

Inuyasha’s smile in the midday sun threatened to wipe Kouga’s brain of everything he’d just learned. Luckily, Inuyasha’s eyes were closed, so Kouga felt comfortable unabashedly drinking him in. He idly wondered how Inuyasha didn’t get hot in all those black layers.

“Thanks for the help, Inuyasha.” Kouga murmured.

Inuyasha opened one eye and his grin faded back to his neutral expression, “Don’t mention it.” He took one more drag of his cigarette.

Kouga tried to return to studying, but Inuyasha’s presence next to him drew his attention like a bright flashing strobe light. It was there even when he closed his eyes. He thought after their interaction in the gym, he’d lost all chance at civil conversation with Inuyasha let alone…

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Inuyasha doodling in the banged up notebook he always carried around. Kouga never saw Inuyasha taking notes in it or anything, but he didn’t carry a backpack either. When the loose pieces of paper (which Kouga figured must be homework) stuffed in between the pages fell out, Inuyasha didn’t seem too concerned with picking them up. 

Kouga unthinkingly leaned in and got a closer look at what Inuyasha drew, “Hey, that’s really good.” He muttered, admiring how the apparently messy lines formed an expertly designed drawing.

Inuyasha hissed and pulled his notebook away with a glare. Kouga immediately backpedalled. “Sorry! Ah, it was an accident.”

Inuyasha studied him for a moment, frown lined with suspicion; yet, Kouga noticed a tiny glimmer of something in his eye. He couldn’t place the emotion, because he didn’t have the guts to look into his eyes for more than a second. 

“Just mind your own business.” Inuyasha murmured, but put his notebook back on his knee in Kouga’s view again.

“Sorry.” Kouga made a great effort to show he wasn’t looking. He kept his eyes glued on his math book. 

After a few tense seconds, Kouga sensed Inuyasha look up at him. 

“You really think it’s good?” Inuyasha tone was practically made of steel with how flat it was, conveying absolutely no emotion. 

Kouga glanced at him cautiously, and let the corner of his mouth lift up in a wolfish grin, “I didn’t see much, but it looked really cool.” 

Inuyasha took another drag on his cigarette, and blew the smoke into the wind. As he turned his head back, he lifted his notebook up so Kouga could take it. 

Kouga took it in his hands delicately, reverently. The page was covered in various doodles with no discernable pattern between them, but the one taking up most of the page was a drawing of a traditional sword. 

The sword was incredibly intricate, and the shading was no joke. Kouga was no artist, but Inuyasha clearly had a gift. He was hyper aware of how Inuyasha’s shoulders had drawn up in almost preemptive defense. 

“Holy shit. This is amazing. I didn’t know you were an artist.” Kouga couldn’t stop looking at the drawings. 

“Eh, I wouldn’t go that far.” Inuyasha actually stammered. 

“Inuyasha you’re like, crazy talented.” Inuyasha’s blush was obvious even to Kouga, and he felt encouraged by the fact that for once Inuyasha seemed speechless. “Does the sword symbolize anything?”

That seemed to make Inuyasha throw up a wall; his expression lost a little of its openness. “My old man was, uh into swords. I like ‘em too.” He seemed to weigh whether or not he should say something. A twitch in his eyebrow indicated he’d made a decision. “I want to get it tattooed after graduation.”

Kouga looked back at the sword on the page, touched by the personal confession. “Designing your own tattoo? That’s so cool.” Kouga handed his notebook back. “When you make it as a big time artist, can I book you to design a tattoo for me?” 

Inuyasha was staring at his own drawing. He licked his lips and took another drag of his cigarette. “Feh. I’ll see if I can fit ya in.”

The bell rang, signalling the transition into next period.

Kouga laughed and stuffed his textbook into his backpack. When he turned back, he was shocked to find Inuyasha had been looking at him. 

“Well, time to go fail a test.” Kouga sighed, not sounding upset at all. He grinned down at Inuyasha, who had made no move to stand at the sound of the bell. “Thanks again.”

Inuyasha shrugged and looked away. Kouga took that as an answer and started walking away.

Just as Kouga was about to round the corner, Inuyasha spoke up. “Hey, uh, don’t worry about that test. If you fail, at least you’re still good…” Inuyasha cringed. “...at sports.”

Kouga regarded him warily, but smiled anyway. “I guess you’re right.”

As he reentered the school building, Kouga’s phone buzzed. He looked down at the unfamiliar number. There was a picture attached of Kouga’s letterman jacket on the bench outside. 

“ _Left your jacket outside_ . _ill give it to Kagome for wen u guys meet up for ur project_ .”   
  


Kouga’s heart pounded. He had Inuyasha’s number now. 

“ _Thanks!_ ” He replied, putting his phone shakily back in his pocket.

As Kouga left his math class an hour later with a crowd of dejected classmates, he exuded pure serenity. 

Ayame caught up to him from the classroom, “Ugh. That was brutal.” She then clocked the stupid grin on his face. “What’s got you in such a good mood? I know you’re just as bad at math as me. You think you did well?”

Kouga did even glance at his friend. “Dunno.” 

Ayame stepped in front of Kouga, arms crossed over her chest; she regarded him with an eyebrow quirked. He just stood in front of her waiting for her to come to whatever conclusion she was clearly concocting. He was busy mentally going over his conversation with Inuyasha.

“I gotta go to my locker before Spanish, can you move?” Kouga asked, without a single drop of venom in his tone.

Ayame squinted her eyes even harder. She took a step closer to him, her face getting close to his shoulder. Then with a sly grin, she stepped aside. “Go ahead.”

Kouga glided past her and disappeared into the crowd. Ayame leaned against the lockers next to the classroom and watched him. 

“Hey Sweetie!” Kagome came up to Ayame, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before opening the locker by Ayame’s shoulder. 

“Hey, Angel?” Ayame asked, finally turning away from where Kouga had disappeared. “What do you think is more likely: that Kouga has taken up smoking, or…” She grinned at her girlfriend just as she finished shoving books in her locker.

Kagome mirrored Ayame’s conspiratory grin. “Shut up, you really think…?”

Ayame wrapped a strand of Kagome hair around her finger, “After what you told me about that disaster in gym, I was shocked to catch a whiff of cigarette smoke on Kouga’s shirt not two freaking minutes ago.”

Kagome covered her mouth, but her hand couldn’t hide her open mouthed smile. Her eyes sparkled, “I want this for Inuyasha so badly. I was starting to think it might never happen. He deserves someone as good as Kouga.”

Ayame’s eyes softened at her girlfriend, “You’re so sweet, my little sugar plum fairy.”

Kagome tried to look indignant. “How do you come up with these pet names?”

Ayame shrugged and tucked the strand of Kagome’s hair she’d been playing with behind her ear. “What can I say? You make my tongue wag in all sorts of ways.” 

  
  


* * *

_Hey, can I get Kagome’s number?_ Ugh.

_Hey! It’s Kouga. I’m working on that history project and I just remembered I don’t have Kagome’s number. Can you give it to me?_

_Hi Inuyasha! How are yo—_ No.

_Yo, Inuyasha, having a good night? Well I’m working on the project and I have a questi—_

Kouga deleted the message for the millionth time and threw down his phone. He groaned into his pillow, burying his face. His various sports posters glared down at him judgmentally. 

It shouldn’t be this hard to text Inuyasha. He was a confident guy, when he had a crush, he simply asked them out. If they weren’t interested, that was it, and he moved on. But Inuyasha was _different_. Kouga thought he would do damn near anything to be on the receiving end of one of Inuyasha’s rare, toothy smiles. 

Kouga’s phone buzzed against his comforter, and he picked it up without lifting his head from his pillow. He rolled his head over and cracked one eye at the screen, and nearly hit the ceiling when he saw who it was from. 

“hey i didnt see kagome so i have ur jacket srry”

Kouga sat up straight against his headboard and hugged his knees; he stared at his opposite wall, heart pounding.

Inuyasha had texted him first. And he still had his jacket. The mental image of Inuyasha wearing his letter jacket stormed into his mind like a bull in a china shop, and well, now it lived there now.

“That’s cool, can you give it to me at school tomorrow or something?” Kouga texted back. 

“sure” 

“Or if I don’t see you before you see Kagome you can just give the jacket to her to give to me in 3rd period so you don’t have to carry it around all day haha”

“k”

Kouga gripped his phone with both hands, and looked around his room, trying to think of something to text back.   
  


Again, Inuyasha interrupted his spiraling thoughts.

“* **New contact** * btw heres kagomes #”

_Oh yeah_. “Thanks”

“np”   
  


Kouga thumped the back of his head against his headboard. Come on, the hard part was already done: starting the conversation. All he had to do was keep it alive. Who knew accomplishing that was like trying to keep a campfire alive during a blizzard?

Kouga had an idea, then did some quick research. He typed out the text. “Hey, can I get your opinion on something?”

A few tense minutes passed before Inuyasha responded. “depends on wat.” 

Kouga waited 30 seconds before responding so it didn’t seem like he’d spent the previous 5 minutes typing out a reply in his notes app. “There’s this band coming to town next month, and I’ve heard one of their songs. It’s pretty good but I don’t know if the rest of their album is good enough to buy tix to the show. Have you heard of em?” Kouga sent a link to the concert page.

The bubble with three dots on Inuyasha’s end popped up immediately. “which song do u like” Before Kouga could look up their top hits, Inuyasha was typing again. “theyre really good. this album is one of the best theyve had in years.”

Kouga pumped his fist in victory; he left the tab which was on Inuyasha’s Facebook listing his liked pages, including his favorite musicians. He googled the band’s hits, and immediately played the one at the top. 

It was kind of emo, not usually his style, but he listened to it once. Then again. Strangely, once he imagined how Inuyasha might vibe with the lyrics, he found himself liking the song more.

“I’m a fan of their top hit; you think buying tickets to this concert would be worth it?”

“idk if it wud b ur type of crowd but ya for sure. their music is the shit.” 

Kouga could work with that, “I’m kind of new to this genre, what are your favorite songs on the album?”

“fuck, ok i cant say a #1 fave but these are my top 5…”

Once Inuyasha started talking about the subject, it hardly seemed like he would ever stop. They texted back and forth for what felt like only a few minutes as Inuyasha went into deep explanations about the songs on the album, but it ended up being much longer. 

Kouga spent the time pacing around his room, cheeks flush and sore from smiling so much.   
  
Then, Inuyasha mentioned that one of the band’s songs was featured on a TV show Kouga actually liked. They talked about the show, spent even longer going back and forth sharing their favorite episodes, characters, and predictions for next season. 

By the time Kouga had looked up at the clock, it was nearly midnight. 

Kouga admired the paragraphs in grey on the left side of his phone screen. He only wished he could hear Inuyasha talk this much in person. Kouga hardly noticed the band’s album playing in the background for the third time. Believe it or not, he found himself enjoying the music. 

A part of him fantasized that if he actually went through with his plan (though originally fake) to buy tickets for the concert, maybe—just maybe—if he asked, Inuyasha would go with him. But he shook his head: he was definitely getting ahead of himself. 

Despite himself, Kouga’s eyelids started to droop. He didn’t want to stop talking to Inuyasha, but it was getting late and Kouga had track training before school in the morning. 

“I gotta get to bed, but do you want to meet before first period?”

Inuyasha started typing, then stopped. Then typed. Then stopped. Kouga stared at his phone through bleary eyes before Inuyasha finally sent a text. 

“ok”

Kouga locked his phone and went to put it on the nightstand before it buzzed one more time. The follow up message from Inuyasha read “gnight.”

Kouga unlocked his phone again at lightning speed, “Goodnight!” even throwing in a moon emoji. 

It took all of Kouga’s willpower not to force himself awake to spend the next hour rereading their conversation, but it didn’t take long for him to fall into a contented sleep. 

A few hours later, Kouga woke with jittery, excited energy even though the sun hadn’t even risen yet. He drove to school with the windows rolled down, letting the cool pre-dawn air remind him of who exactly had his jacket. 

The Wolves’ track coach pushed the team hard that morning; so hard, even the cheerleading squad practicing on the adjacent field winced. 

While Kouga’s teammates panted and held their cramping sides, he sprinted past them with barely a glance. He ran leaps and bounds past his teammates—not entirely unusual since he was the team’s star runner. But, even Coach pointed out how remarkably far ahead Kouga was, and shouted at the rest to catch up like a drill sergeant. 

“Jesus, Kouga.” Hakkaku huffed at the end of practice, hands on his knees. “How do you have this much energy at 6 am?”  
  


Kouga shrugged noncommittally, lifting his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Just training for the meet this weekend.”

Ginta laid in the dewy grass as the still hidden sun threw pink streaks through the purple, “Yeah, but Coach made the rest of us do those extra laps, and now my calves are dead.” 

Hakkaku made a smooching face down at his boyfriend in the grass. “Aw, need me to carry you?” 

Ginta stuck out his tongue, “No, but you can kiss my—”

“See you guys later!” Kouga shouted over his shoulder as he jogged back up to the school, eagerness to see a certain pair of golden eyes numbing his sore muscles. He sprinted so quickly into the building, he missed the black hoodie clad figure in the shadows. 

After a quick shower and a change into his day clothes, Kouga sent a text to Inuyasha. “Hey there! Just got out of track practice, let me know when you get to school.”

Kouga figured he had a few minutes of anxious waiting ahead of him, as Inuyasha was notoriously late for, well, everything. He wondered what they could talk about after getting his jacket back; would they talk about the same show from last night? He was so lost in his thoughts that the immediate responding buzz from his phone spooked him. 

“got here early. chillin out front.”

Kouga had his backpack on instantly in his excitement, and almost smacked into Ginta and Hakkaku as he fled the locker room. They gave him confused glances as he threw an apology over his shoulder.

He would have told them about the breakthrough he’d had with Inuyasha, but a part of him wanted to keep it a secret for just a bit while, close to his chest. It felt so fragile he was terrified a stray wind could shatter... _whatever_ it was that was happening. 

Just before he reached the main doors leading back outside, Kouga slowed to a normal pace. He took a deep breath before pushing the doors leading outside. 

He didn’t try to stop the smile that bloomed over his face when he saw Inuyasha sitting on one of the benches in front of the school. 

Inuyasha had his notebook open, cigarette lit, and his hair was down this morning looking particularly glossy. 

When Kouga trotted up next to him, Inuyasha glanced up with what looked like the beginnings of a grin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting!” Kouga blew out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  
  


Inuyasha shook his head, “Eh. I was up early anyway.” He glanced surreptitiously at Kouga from his notebook, like he couldn’t decide where to put his gaze. 

“How early’d you get here?” Kouga asked, noticing that there was a recently discarded cigarette butt by Inuyasha’s foot. 

Inuyasha deliberately looked away, “Beats me.” Inuyasha looked strangely nervous in a way Kouga couldn’t place. Not that he ever really understood Inuyasha anyway, but he was acting particularly strange this morning.

A chilly gust of wind blowing over him reminded Kouga of why he had asked Inuyasha to meet him in the first place. Then he noticed the absence of his letter jacket anywhere on the bench. 

“Oh,” Kouga said; his skin was so heated he didn’t mind the morning wind. “That’s okay.” 

Inuyasha blinked owlishly. “Huh?” This was a word Inuyasha threw around often, but it was usually spat. The question lacked its typical defiance.

Kouga waved his hand dismissively. “My jacket, it’s totally cool. Thanks for picking it up by the way!” He said, wanting to let Inuyasha know how much he appreciated the gesture.

Inuyasha’s hand on the page stopped. “That’s why...the letter jacket.” The wind buried the words. 

The palpable disappointment in Inuyasha’s voice had Kouga a little lost. “It’s no big deal, really.” 

Inuyasha closed his notebook and he stood up suddenly. “Yeah. I know.” 

Before Kouga could even say anything, Inuyasha brushed past him and stalked toward the school doors. 

Kouga stood dumbly as arriving students glided past him. He felt like he’d just been slapped in the face—but not for real, because he’d been slapped before and it hadn’t hurt this much.

  
 _Hurt_ . His chest ached and his eye threatened to sting not just from how coldly Inuyasha had left him, but because it felt so unfair that he didn’t even get to understand _why_. 

Inuyasha had finally seemed within his reach, then on the turn of a dime he’d shut down, putting Kouga even further back than square one. 

As Kouga sat dejectedly on the bench, his phone buzzed with a text from Ginta. “Where’d you go?” He just opened it and didn’t respond. His fingers pressed the back button and he went to the conversation thread just under Ginta’s.

Kouga stared at the blinking cursor, wracking his brain for some kind of olive branch: but he couldn’t think of one. Their last messages glared back at him. He’d asked Inuyasha to meet him before first period, Inuyasha had said yes and goodnight, then their messages this morning. It didn’t make sense.

Kouga wandered into the cafeteria robotically and met the track team at their usual table before class. When he sat down with an egg sandwich among his teammates talking animatedly about the upcoming meet, he spotted Inuyasha. He was across the cafeteria at a table alone with his head buried in his phone. 

Ginta and Hakkaku talked among themselves in low tones, trying to figure out what could have caused Kouga’s mood shift. 

“Something really bad must have happened, he won’t even look at us.” Hakkaku whispered; Ginta nodded, then cocked his head to listen to the group conversation.

“Kouga’s gonna for sure take the gold on the short sprint.” Ginta offered, hoping to rope him in by mentioning his name. 

Their teammates rang out a chorus of agreement, the collective attention of the table dragging Kouga’s attention to the conversation. He rested his chin on his palm and waved his other hand in a so-so gesture, clearly only half listening.

“I hate those asshole Birds of Paradise! Just because they have more money they think they’re better than us.” Someone bemoaned, riling everyone up at the table. Someone mimed throwing up at the mention of their rival team, someone else groaned, “ _What the fuck_ is _a Bird of Paradise anyway?_ ” while the others ground their teeth and spat their own frustrations. 

For once, Kouga’s face mirrored those of the groggy students filtering in around them: it was too damn early for this much pep. 

Kouga’s eyes kept flitting toward Inuyasha’s hunched over figure across the sea of sleepy students on his own impenetrable island.

A female voice came from behind Kouga, “We’ll show _them_ at the meet this Saturday, right guys?” 

All eyes turned to Ayame, standing with some of the other cheerleaders, her arm around Kagome’s shoulder. Kouga nodded, in no mood to join in. Ayame clapped her hand on his shoulder, “From what I saw this morning during your practice, ya’ll are gonna kill them.”

One of the guys further down the table made some comment about how he also liked what he saw during the cheer squad’s practice. One of the cheerleaders smacked him on the back of the head, diverting the group’s attention to the opposite end of the table. 

Kagome’s stare was across the cafeteria as she mumbled to herself, “Inuyasha’s early. That’s weird.” She checked her phone, and puckered her eyebrows. 

“What did Inuyasha think, Kouga?” Ayame asked conspiratorially, sitting next to him at the table. 

“Huh! What do you mean?” Kouga almost leapt out of his skin. 

“What are you talking about, babe?” Kagome asked, standing between them. Ayame glanced up at her, confused by Kouga’s mood; but she pressed on, undeterred. 

“Come on, I saw him out by the field watching track practice.” Ayame explained, thinking that would make Kouga drop the act.  
  


“You’re not serious are you?” He asked, feeling his voice reach a new octave. “This ain’t funny, Ayame.” He whispered through clenched teeth.

Now, she looked genuinely confused. “Of course I’m being serious.”

While Kouga and Ayame’s charged exchange happened below, Kagome continued to look afar. Her eyes were glazed over and her mouth curled with pity. She touched Ayame on the shoulder in parting as she left the athletes’ table. 

Ayame sobered up too as Kagome left. She made sure the attention of their teammates was far away from them before she continued, “You mean...you didn’t know he was there?”

Kouga felt claustrophobic. Ayame’s piercing gaze and the deluge of information that made absolutely no sense had him squirming in his seat. 

“I gotta go.” Kouga muttered, already halfway standing. 

He retreated down the hallway to a more secluded bathroom, away from the din of the cafeteria. Once inside, he locked himself in the biggest stall and sat on the floor. 

The silence was peaceful, and the swirling thoughts in Kouga’s head settled like a tornado had passed. He had a chance to pick his thoughts up one by one and examine them.

First: fear. The fear of rejection, being hurt, wasn’t something Kouga was used to dealing with. He was a confident guy with the capital to back it up. He knew he had charisma, he was driven, and secure enough to know that for every closed door there was an open window. But the stakes were higher with Inuyasha. He’d never been drawn to anyone like he was to Inuyasha. He reminded him of some quote he’d heard in literature class, about roses having thorns or something. 

Second: pain. Kouga was pretty used to Inuyasha’s closed off nature; everyone except for Kagome was. But his coldness this morning hurt more because Kouga had really felt they’d made a connection. It would hurt less if once Kouga had really talked to him, there hadn’t been a spark. But seeing Inuyasha open up...God, it was like watching the first rays of sunlight peak over the horizon.   
  


Third: being okay. On the tile floor of the bathroom, Kouga listened to his breathing. His heartbeat. Despite the upheaval, the confusion, he was alive. He would eventually stand up, go to class, train for track meets, go to the movies with friends; move on with his life. He may not understand what was going on between him and Inuyasha, but he knew one thing. No matter what happened, he would be okay.

The footfall and low voices echoed down the empty hallway, barely registering on Kouga’s radar as he washed his hands at the sink. 

It was when the voices got closer that Kouga froze in the middle of wiping his hands dry with a paper towel. He strained to listen, but he could only catch some of the words. 

“...yasha, I think...slow down.” Kouga recognized Kagome’s voice approaching the bathroom. 

Inuyasha’s voice was unmistakable, but muffled by the low tone. 

Kouga heard Kagome’s responding exasperated sigh more clearly as they passed by the door, “...mean anything by it. You don’t know it was only about...”

Inuyasha grumbled something that sounded sarcastic, but Kouga couldn’t make out the words.

They were right outside the door. Why were they even over here? Could they be talking about him. No. Right? Oh god, what if Inuyasha walked in and found him, that would be so—

“God, you can be so stubborn!” Kagome growled, her voice a little farther off now. “People aren’t mind readers, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha grumbled some more, even further away now, “...doesn’t matter...stupid anyway…”

The last thing Kouga’s ears could pick up was Kagome’s groan, then footsteps getting quieter as they rounded a corner. 

He waited a minute. Then another. The bell rang and the hallway soon reverberated with a deluge of footsteps and chatter. This is when Kouga felt safe enough to leave the bathroom. 

He stared unseeingly in the direction Inuyasha and Kagome had gone. He adjusted his backpack, and made his way to first period. He had one last thought to mull over, one he held in both hands with sprouting confidence.

Fourth: resolve. Kouga didn’t have to understand everything that was going on. Maybe the chaos could be good; it meant there was hope. And anything worth having was worth risking getting hurt, right? 

He unlocked his phone and saw a new text from Hakkaku, “Are you okay, man?”

“Yeah. Thanks for checking in.” Kouga typed.

And he really was. Kouga was no quitter. He wouldn’t stop trying until he crossed the finish line: win, lose, or draw. 

* * *

  
  


The next few days consisted of only classes, training, eating, and sleeping as preparation for the meet began in earnest. 

  
Of course Kouga thought of Inuyasha, but the dark clothed spectre had made himself scarce. Even during gym class, Kagome played volleyball with a group of her friends with Inuyasha nowhere in sight.

They hadn’t texted. Mostly because Kouga hadn’t known what to say; nothing he typed out in his notes app sounded right. He wanted to see him in person. Maybe if he saw him, he’d know what to say. 

What kept Kouga’s hope alive was that, for three days in a row, his letterman hadn’t appeared.

Finally on Friday, Kouga decided to seek Inuyasha out himself. Kouga carried his lunch past the track team’s table and made for the door leading outside to thei— _Inuyasha_ ’s bench. 

Just before he reached the door though, Kouga almost smacked into a short figure who manifested in front of him from the shadows. 

Kagome smiled up at Kouga, holding her textbooks to her chest.

“Hey! Did you forget our group is eating lunch in the library to work on the project?” She asked cheerfully. 

“Uh, shoot. I’m sorry, I must have forgot.” Kouga sighed; his head had been all over the place the past few days. 

Kagome waved her hand dismissively, looping her arm around his. “Don’t worry about it! Let’s go.” 

Kouga let Kagome lead him away from the cafeteria, through the winding halls to the library. After they entered the sparsely populated library, she set her books down at a large study table. Kouga glanced around at the empty chairs.

Kagome took out her notes, “You’re working on the works cited page right?” 

Kouga sat down distractedly. “Shouldn’t we wait for the rest of the group?”

Kagome didn’t look up from her notes. “They’ll be here, might as well get a head start.” 

Kouga figured that was fair, and searched his backpack for the rubric. They spent a moment in silence retrieving their notes before Kagome clicked her teeth, “Shoot. Eri just texted me, she’s meeting with the band for rehearsal.”

Kouga took a bite out of his apple. “That sucks. Is Jakotsu on his way?”

She snapped her fingers, “Darn it! I think he’s rehearing for the choir showcase next week.”

“So it’s just us? That’s okay, I’ve got my laptop; we can just start on the powerpoint.” He reached into his bag. 

“Yeah, okay!”

Kouga took a bite out of his apple as he waited for his laptop to boot up. He’d just have to wait to find another way to talk to Inuyasha; maybe he’d text him tonight finally...

“So, are you ready for the track meet tomorrow?” Kagome asked brightly.

“Uh huh,” He answered around chewed up bits of apple. “It’s supposed to rain tonight but hopefully it’ll be dry by tomorrow.”

Kagome hummed in agreement, seeming to concentrate on her notes. Then, after a minute of silent study she piped up again, “Oh, by the way. I was supposed to give you back your letterman jacket. But I haven’t had a chance to get it from Inuyasha.”

At the mention of the subject, Kouga’s breath froze in his lungs. He knew he needed to tread lightly. He shouldn’t be surprised Kagome knew about the jacket—she and Inuyasha were best friends. But he didn’t know how much she knew about their situation. 

He also knew anything he said about Inuyasha would undoubtedly get back to him. He didn’t want to reveal too much and accidentally screw up even more. 

Kouga looked up from his laptop and gave her a perfunctory smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s okay. I was gonna talk to him about it in gym or something, but I didn’t see him yesterday.” 

“He won’t be there today either, he’s out sick.” 

“That sucks.” Kouga murmured, getting his laptop password wrong three times before finally typing it out correctly. “Is he okay?”  
  


Kagome was thankfully quick to answer, “He’s fine! He might just be skipping, you know how he is.” _I do?_ “He’ll definitely be okay by tomorrow.” 

“Uh, that’s good to hear.” Kouga answered, pointing his eyes to his computer screen. He was wondering if Kagome was going to ask why Inuyasha had his jacket. _Did Inuyasha tell her about that day at the bench_ — _Wait. Tomorrow?_

“Tomorrow?” Kouga raised his head in confusion.

Kagome tilted her chin to the side and placed her cheek in her palm. “Yeah. I’m running the concession stand. He’s gonna be there to help me out.” 

Kouga swallowed. So, he would see Inuyasha tomorrow for sure. Why was Kagome looking at him like that? “That’s nice.” Kouga pulled up the works cited page and attached it to an email, 

“Yeah, he complains about me putting him to work at the meets, but he’s got more school spirit than people think.” Kagome asserted.

_This is weird, right?_ “Oh. Ok. I mean; cool.”

Kagome chuckled to herself in a way that reminded of a school play he’d seen her in last year, “Yeah, I mean, I bring my best friend to help _me_ and sometimes I can’t even drag him away from the bleachers.”

He sat up straighter, starting to suspect Kagome was ramping up to something. “Uh huh…”

Kagome clocked his eyebrow curling suspiciously, so she blushed and grabbed a stack of notes as if to get back to the project. But her hand stilled and her eyes glazed over with seriousness that felt out of place in a conversation about a track meet.

“For as rough as he can act sometimes, Inuyasha’s always there for me when I need him. He’s loyal like that.” Kagome’s lips hung open, like she wanted to say more but was having trouble choosing her words carefully. 

A backpack smacked the table next to Kouga, making both students jump and dart their eyes away from each other. 

“Hey! I was going to my locker and saw you guys in here; are we working on the project?” Jakotsu towered over them, shattering the tension with his jovial tone. 

“Yeah, we haven’t gotten very far though.” Kouga said dazedly, a little relieved for the chance to breathe.

Jakotsu pursed his lips and looked at the clock, “Well, lunch is almost over. I have to stay after school for a final dress rehearsal at 6, so it would be awesome if the group could meet right after seventh period. What do you think?”

“Sure.” Kouga replied at the same time Kagome said, “Yeah.”

Jakotsu whipped his phone out, “Sounds good. I’ll make sure Eri’s in too. See you then.”

The bell rang signalling the end of lunch and, in the moment Kouga was bent over putting his laptop back in his bag, Jakotsu sauntered away. He poked his head back up like a prairie dog, finding Kagome already standing with her books in hand. She glanced away and bit her lip before finally speaking again.

“He’s a good guy. He just...I…” She danced from foot to foot, her nerve seeping out like helium from a leaky balloon. “Nevermind. See ya later!” She ended quickly, turning to all but run out of the library.

Kouga sank into the library chair, and put the heels of his hands over his eyes. “ _What the fuuuck_?” He groaned loudly.

When he dragged his hands down his cheeks and opened his eyes, he was met with the librarian glaring at him from behind her cart of books. He blushed sheepishly and muttered out an apology before scurrying out the doors himself. 

* * *

  
  


Storm clouds heavily pregnant with rain blocked out the sun by the time Kouga left the school building that afternoon. Kagome had missed the group session, texting them during seventh period. After she’d sent them her already completed portion, they were able to finish the project with little issue.

Kouga let out a grateful exhale, plopping down in the front seat of his old mustang. As soon as he’d closed the door, droplets of water started smattering his windshield, turning quickly into a cacophony of tinkling on metal and glass.

He hadn’t had a moment to breath since the weirdest lunch ever. Kagome had always been straightforward with him: she’d never been so cryptic, which meant whatever she was trying to say was probably important. But Kouga had never felt dumber. 

All he knew was he was tired of hearing, talking, thinking _about_ Inuyasha; he wanted to talk _to_ him. He missed him.

He plugged his phone into his car’s stereo, letting the preloaded music resume playing. With the volume low, Kouga pulled out of the parking lot into what was quickly becoming a thunderstorm. 

Despite how hungry Kouga was, and knowing he needed a good night’s sleep before the meet in the morning, he didn’t feel like going home yet. He took the car down rarely used roads in the neighborhood, letting the rain act as a curtain as he let his mind meander like the suburban streets.   
  
With the singer on the album crooning in the background, Kouga was pulled into remembering how he and Inuyasha had been that night. The night Kouga had done something _right_. 

His heart started to lighten, certain there had to be a way to get that back. 

Kouga slowed to a soft stop at an intersection. Although it was only about 5 PM, the storm darkened the sky so much that he needed headlights to see. He was being particularly cautious, which is how he spotted an approaching pedestrian clad in clothes so dark it was practically camouflage against the backdrop of the storm.

When the person passed in front of his car, hunched over and hidden under a black hood, Kouga’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. He would recognize the chains hanging off of those pants anywhere, not to mention the soaking wet combat boots splashing through the puddles. Kouga’s hands moved of their own accord and pulled up next to the familiar figure.

Inuyasha’s unmistakable golden eyes peered up from under the hood, his silver hair darkened by rain and plastered to his cheeks. Without a second of hesitation, Kouga rolled down the window.

“ _Inuyasha_ ?” Kouga called out incredulously. How had he stumbled upon _him_ if all people here and now?

“Yeah?” Inuyasha squinted into the car suspiciously. Then his eyes grew huge in bafflement; his rigid grimace even went slack. He took a step forward into the damp grass as if drawn by an invisible string.

“What are you doing out here? It’s pouring.” Kouga then decided this was a stupid question, continuing without waiting for a response. “Can I give you a ride?”

Inuyasha still stared at Kouga like he’d been struck by lightning. He opened his mouth, then closed it, looking as at a loss for words as Kouga had ever seen him.

With a sudden burst of clarity, Kouga realized that he didn’t care if Inuyasha was mad at him. It didn’t matter if he hated him, or never wanted to talk to him about art or music or TV again. He just wanted to get Inuyasha out of the cold and wet.

“Come on, let me give you a ride home?” He worried about how pleading his voice sounded, leaning over to push open the passenger side door. 

A beat of hesitation. Something heavy hung in Kouga’s throat as he waited. 

Inuyasha’s lips pursed, then he half jogged to Kouga’s car. The leather seat squeaked as Inuyasha practically fell onto it. He pulled his muddy combat boots inside and hastily shut the door to keep out the rain. 

And with that, mystifyingly, impossibly, Kouga and Inuyasha were alone. Kouga turned up the heater all the way to help warm Inuyasha—he must be freezing, he figured—and reached his arm to his back seat. Kouga handed one of his stray shirts lying back there to Inuyasha. 

“Sorry it’s not a towel, but...?” He let his outstretched hand finish the sentence, not trusting his lungs to draw in a full breath.

Inuyasha ever so carefully pushed his hood back, revealing damp hair in a low bun. Taking the shirt from Kouga, he watched him in his periphery with the caution of a wild deer. He gingerly pressed the shirt to his face and neck, and wrapped the wet strands of hair plastered to his cheeks in the fabric, wringing out some of the water. 

Even though Inuyasha hadn’t actually said anything to him yet, Kouga was just glad he was accepting his help. 

“Thanks.” Inuyasha said once he was done drying his face. 

“You’re welcome.” Their voices floated above the sound of the rain on the metal roof and the low hum of the stereo. 

Inuyasha held the now damp shirt in both hands on his lap. “How could you tell it was me?”

“...Because it’s you.” Kouga stated matter-of-factly. “Why wouldn’t I recognize you?” 

For some reason that seemed to still Inuyasha’s tongue, but his eyes moved to Kouga’s face. Kouga felt Inuyasha studying him warily from underneath his ridiculously long lashes. Color was returning to Inuyasha’s face under the blow of the car’s heater. Kouga couldn’t look away from the lovely roses that bloomed on his cheeks. 

Out of nowhere Inuyasha seemed to regain his voice. “What are you doing over here, you don’t live—I mean, uh—” 

“—I was just driving around!” Kouga answered breathlessly. “I wasn’t like following you or anyt—”

“—I didn’t think you were.” Inuyasha’s reply overlapped Kouga’s.

They lapsed into an awkward but thankfully brief silence.  
  


“I drive around to clear my head sometimes.” Kouga completed the thought.

“I do that too. Walkin’ around helps me think.” Inuyasha released his hair from his bun and let his wavy locks fall around his shoulders to dry. He tucked one strand of hair behind his jewelry clad ear. 

“Well I’m glad I found you.” Kouga said, gaze following Inuyasha’s calloused fingers down the length of his hair. “With this rain, I wouldn’t want you to get sicker.” Inuyasha’s eyebrow raised quizzically. “Kagome told me that’s why you weren’t at school today.”

Inuyasha’s expression didn’t change, but he blushed even deeper crimson somehow. “You...were asking Kagome why I wasn’t there?”  
  


“Uh, not exactly! We just got to talking and…” Kouga turned away, facing the kaleidoscope windshield. “I haven’t seen you in a few days.”

Inuyasha jerked his chin up and leaned back into the seat; he crossed his arms over his chest, but not defiantly, almost...protectively.

“I ain’t sick. Just didn’t feel like bein’ there.” 

“Well, I’m glad.” Kouga cleared his throat. “That you’re not sick.”

Inuyasha looked down at his lap. He still held onto the damp shirt. “Thanks.” He glanced up at the stereo, and for the first time, cracked a small smile. “Is that the album playing?”

Kouga let out a bark of laughter, “Yeah. I’ve been getting into it. You were right, I think that last track is probably the best of the set.”

Inuyasha broke out into a full lopsided grin, “Right? Told ya so.”

Kouga couldn’t help mirroring the smile. He turned up the stereo and let the music fill the car. His blood hummed with mirth at this unexpected twist, and he dreaded their time together ending. Luckily, biology stepped in to throw him a bone.

Kouga’s stomach growled, and he stole a glance at Inuyasha from under his lashes. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. I’m gonna grab a bite from Wacdonald’s or something. Wanna come?”

Inuyasha blinked a couple of times. “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.”   
  


When Kouga moved the gear from park to drive, Inuyasha turned his face toward his own window. When he faced forward again, his lip looked freshly chewed on: but his lips were in the unmistakable shape of a grin.

The rain started to let up and within minutes ceased altogether as they pulled up to the fast food drive thru. The line of cars waiting to order wrapped around the building, but the time passed quickly for the pair as they fell into easy conversation about music, TV, schoolwork, and even some upcoming movies that looked good.

By the time they got their food, the clouds had parted just enough to act as a canvas painted orange, pink, and gold by the setting sun. 

While Kouga had been wondering in the back of his mind how to prolong being in Inuyasha’s company, it was the other boy who offered the solution: 

“There’s a park near here with a lake I like to walk to sometimes; we should eat there.” Inuyasha suggested between sips of his soda. 

“Sure! Just tell me where to go.” Kouga replied merrily. 

That’s how the two found themselves sitting on a bench in a deserted park, munching happily on their burgers. They watched the sun set over the trees across the artificial lake. Despite the earlier deluge of rain, and the fact that the bench was still a little damp, the lake practically sparkled in the rays of waning daylight. 

They ate in comfortable silence. Kouga felt more serene than he had in days. Inuyasha inhaled his french fries and even threw one to a passing duck. The duck gobbled it up gleefully, and Kouga had to laugh at the sight.

“You’re gonna give that duck high cholesterol.” Kouga said, even while he also tossed a fry at the duck.

Inuyasha tossed his hair over his shoulder, and stuck out his jewelry studded tongue at the bird. Kouga was enraptured by the golden hue the sunset threw over Inuyasha’s visage. Kouga wasn’t a painter, but he found himself wishing he was so he could capture the moment. 

Inuyasha’s face screwed up as he rolled his eyes. “He lives on a patch of grass surrounded on all sides by car exhaust. He deserves to live a little bit.”

“That’s fair.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kouga caught Inuyasha staring at his face. However, when Kouga turned to meet his gaze, this time Inuyasha didn’t turn away. He just kept looking right at him, pinning him with his unabashed stare. This caused the warmth of hope to curl in Kouga’s chest, which bloomed as Inuyasha’s soft smile reached his eyes. 

Kouga couldn’t find it in himself to feel self-conscious. Is this what it felt like to be in Inuyasha’s inner circle? Like standing in direct sunshine? 

Kouga wasn’t good with words. All he could hope was that his pure contentment was obvious on his face. It felt to him like it was written all over, like every breath, every twitch of his joints, every blink screamed what he’d been unable to say for months. 

“Thanks. For stoppin’ for me.” Inuyasha said softly. Kouga thought the swell of tenderness that overcame him would crush his ribs. 

“Of course.” Kouga exhaled in a tone he worried sounded too much like yearning. “Thanks for having dinner with me.” He chuckled and held up his wadded up burger wrapper. 

_Oh shit, did I just make it sound like a date?_ He regarded Inuyasha carefully, watching for any cold shift in his demeanor. 

But no cold wall slammed up like before. Inuyasha’s lips pressed together, like he was suppressing something blazing behind his teeth. His eyes reflected the fire of the dying light, and for once, he didn’t seem on guard at all. 

Kouga was so fascinated by that look, that he barely noticed a chilly wind blow over the lake. As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, the temperature dropped. It could have started snowing, but Kouga wouldn’t have noticed. 

His body reacted though: a combination of excited nerves, exposed forearms, and probably the cold coke he’d just drank, caused Kouga to shiver in the cool twilight wind. 

Inuyasha noticed even if Kouga didn’t. A contemplative look came over him. Then after a brief moment, his brow softened decisively. 

He reached his hands behind his shoulders, yanking his hoodie up and over his head. Kouga was nearly too flustered to notice Inuyasha’s red long sleeved shirt revealed by the removal of his hoodie. The bright red suited him well, Kouga thought before his mind was wiped blank. 

“You’re cold.” Inuyasha averted his gaze, but his neck was nearly as red as his shirt; he held out the hoodie to Kouga, an offering. 

Kouga’s tongue sat in his mouth like a brick. All he could do was will his hands to grasp the worn fabric, warmed by Inuyasha’s body heat, and pull it to his chest. He wasn’t sure how he managed to get his arms through the sleeves and his head through the neck opening without snag. Yet, when he finally did, he was enveloped in Inuyasha’s essence. Kouga resisted smelling the fabric, but only just barely.

“Thank you.” Kouga managed to choke out. Was he on fire? It felt like it. 

Inuyasha appeared to be struggling with words too. He just nodded and rested his elbows on his knees. He took out a cigarette, still a little damp, and after a few strikes of his lighter, successfully took a drag. 

While Inuyasha was occupied lighting his cigarette, Kouga surreptitiously sniffed the sleeve when he brought his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. It smelled of cigarette smoke and Inuyasha’s unique musk. He was practically drowning in it.

They gazed off at the place where the sun had disappeared, and both seemed reluctant to admit it was time to leave when the lights along the park’s trail flickered on. 

Kouga stood, picking up their trash, and turned to Inuyasha, “Let me take you home?” 

The walk back to Kouga’s car was peaceful; uneventful. The backs of their hands brushed together a few times, but only on accident, probably. Kouga itched to reach out, but figured he may have used up all his luck today. It certainly felt like he must have used up all the luck he was ever going to get. 

The car ride to Inuyasha’s was filled with familiar chatter, but this time the fragility was gone. Though mutually content, the air between them was charged in a different way. 

Finally, Kouga stopped in front of Inuyasha’s house. 

“Thanks for the company. We should...um.” Kouga cleared his throat. “We should do this again sometime.” 

It was too dark for Kouga to see Inuyasha’s pupils dilate, but he caught the way one side of his mouth turned upward. 

“Yeah.” He replied simply.

Begrudgingly, Kouga reached behind his head to take off the hoodie. But, to his surprise, Inuyasha already had the door open and was getting out of the car. Kouga called out to stop him, but Inuyasha leaned in with a self-satisfied grin.

“Keep it for ransom. It’s the least I can do.” _Oh right_ , his letterman jacket.

_Well if that’s the deal, he can just keep it_. Kouga thought to himself in a daze. 

It was his turn to answer simply. “Okay.” 

Inuyasha seemed pleased by this answer, “Night, Kouga.”

_Had his name ever sounded like that before?_ Kouga wanted to record Inuyasha saying his name and play it over and over again.

Instead of saying any of that, he replied. “Goodnight, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha closed the door, and Kouga watched him walk up to his front door. He waited by the curb until Inuyasha had fished out his keys, unlocked the door, and disappeared inside. 

“ _Wow_.” Kouga whispered to himself, barely restraining himself from fist pumping. He was hyper-aware that Inuyasha could still technically see him if he looked out his window. 

As he pulled away from Inuyasha’s house and started home, Kouga didn’t even notice that his damp t-shirt was nowhere in the car. 

* * *

  
  
  


Morning came too quickly for Kouga, despite his tranquil sleep. The third instance of his phone alarm going off thrust him into action. He flew around his room, changing into his track gear and packing his bag, with the urgency of a tornado. 

Looking out his bedroom window and seeing the sun, far higher in the sky than it should have been, was the slap his brain needed to really wake up. 

One harried drive and inhaled protein bar later, Kouga was stretching with the rest of his team near the bleachers in the Wolves’ designated team area.

Hakkaku was in the middle of helping Kouga with a stretch when his mouth screwed down into a grimace, “Ugh. Blue assholes incoming.” 

Two of the rival track team members sauntered up to them, wearing their school’s trademark blue and white colors. They stood with arms crossed over their chests and sneered like bullies from some bad, early 2000s, made-for-TV movie. 

“Nice ponytail. How long does it take you to pick out a headband in the morning?” One smirked down at them. 

Kouga rolled his eyes, leaning to stretch his hamstring. “Why? You looking for fashion tips?”

The other scoffed, “As if we’d ask any of you mangy Wolves for beauty advice!”

“...Our loss I guess?” Kouga muttered, unsure of how they expected this to go. 

Hakkaku rested his cheek on his palm, “This is weird pre-competition banter.”

The first opponent ground his teeth, “You’re gonna eat our dust!”

“Everyone knows the Birds of Paradise are the best in the district, so don’t get your hopes up.” The other sneered. 

Kouga uncurled from his stretch and finally looked up at them, “This trash talk schtick is all feeling very forced, make sure to save some brain cells the other teams.” 

They rolled their eyes and sneered, “See ya on the track, Ponytail.”

“Yeah, you’ll see him as he crosses the finish line in front of you!” Hakkaku shouted then exchanged an exhausted glance with Kouga, “Now, _that’s_ how you trash talk, guys.”

The two rival members went to retreat through the wire fence gate, but found their passage was blocked. 

Hakkaku all but smacked Kouga on the shoulder, pointing behind him, “Dude, look.”

Kouga twisted his torso and saw the two Birds of Paradise runners standing in front of the exit, backs rigid. Inuyasha leaned against the side of the gate, looking incredibly bored as he stood in their way.

“We asked you to move, guy.” One of them said.

Inuyasha responded with blowing a gum bubble then letting it deflate. A cigarette dangled loosely in between his fingers at his side. 

The other rival member grew agitated, “What’s your problem, e-boy?”

Inuyasha brought the cigarette up to his lips, glowing the cherry bright red at the end, looking as disinterested as ever, yet still refusing to move. He blew out his smoke in their faces, agitating them.

Just as Kouga stood up to either prevent (or join) a fight, Kagome’s voice came from around the concession booth.

“Inuyasha!” She shouted, rounding the corner carrying a towering stack of boxes. “You _said_ you’d help me unload the cotton candy machine.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He grumbled, stomping out his cigarette with his boot as he turned to the door Kagome had just slipped through. 

The rivals exchanged confused glances before finally exiting through the gate back to their own side. 

Hakkaku danced up to the bleachers and took a seat near Kouga stretched, “ _That_ was interesting.” 

“What was?” Ginta asked as he walked up to the boys. 

“Inuyasha was watching those blue jerks talk shit to Kouga.” Hakkaku replied, raking his eyes over Kouga in mock coquettishness. “Then he was totally ready to square up.”

“Shut up, no way.” Ginta gasped, sitting next to his boyfriend and looking to Kouga for confirmation. “What’s going on, Kouga?”

“Maybe he just really hates those rich snobs.” Kouga wouldn’t have been able to hide his grin if he wanted to. For Inuyasha, that stunt had basically been a public spectacle, defending _Kouga’s_ honor. Well, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but his heart still raced. 

Hakkaku sputtered a laugh, “Holy shit, something _did_ happen.” He rubbed his hands together, as if preparing to devour a meal. “Have you talked to him since that whole thing Wednesday morning?”

Kouga’s unrestrained grin nearly sent Ginta and Hakkaku into a frenzy, but Kouga raised his hand haltingly, “Look, I can’t go into details. I promise I will talk about it, but right now I just wanna focus on the competition. Okay?” 

Taken aback by Kouga’s calm demeanor, the pair agreed and split off to continue preparing for the first race. Once Kouga was out of sight, Ginta threw his arm over Hakkaku’s shoulder.

“Looks like our jobs are done.” He sighed fondly.

“We didn’t do shit.” Hakkaku replied, but with a smirk.

“Eh, well, we gave him a nudge.” Ginta shot back before kissing Hakkaku on the cheek.

Once the races started, all attention turned to the track. The stands were populated by students, but had thinned out a little by midday as the Wolves were doing less than stellar. As their coach stomped and yelled things that were probably supposed to be motivational, the track team members watched the races grimly. 

Kouga had yet to participate in a race, so he found himself pacing under the bleachers to escape the anxiety permeating the sidelines. Music blasted from his headphones as he closed his eyes and tried to focus—

Smacking into a soft body made his eyes shoot open. The sight of Inuyasha looking at him with concern caused him to rip the buds out of his ears. 

“Hey.” Kouga breathed.

“Hey.” Inuyasha replied, hands behind his back and foot kicking a rock. “I didn’t see you out there. Are, uh…” Inuyasha took a deep breath, then asked firmly. “Are you alright?”

Kouga blew air into his cheeks, “Yeah, I…” Inuyasha’s molten gold eyes pinned him like they had last night at the park, and Kouga couldn’t lie. “Not really. There’s a lot of pressure right now. I can’t blow this for us.”

Inuyasha took a step closer with a look remarkably close to pity; a look Kouga had never seen on him before. Or maybe it was just empathy.

“...You’re goin’ to do great.” Inuyasha brought his arms in front, and wrung his hands together. 

Kouga’s anxietes fell out of his mouth unthinkingly, “How can you know that?”

Inuyasha let out a short incredulous sound, “Because you give everything your all. I don’t think you know how _not_ to.”   
  


Kouga could only stare at him in awe. Inuyasha’s words rattled in his skull and settled at the bottom like an anchor in a rough ocean. His chest felt blown open, like his ribcage couldn’t contain his lungs and heart and the full force of Inuyasha’s attention. 

That was it: Inuyasha cared about him. Cared if he was okay, and enough to help him weather the storm of his anxiety. The nervousness in Kouga’s veins was chased out by that sunshine. 

Kouga had never wanted to kiss Inuyasha more. He’d imagined it plenty of times, but he never felt closer to actually doing it than right now. To Kouga’s elation, Inuyasha looked like he might want that too. 

“Inuyasha, I…” Kouga trailed off, the words getting lost in the warm sea in his head.

Inuyasha reached his arm up with Kouga’s letterman jacket slung over it, “I didn’t forget this time.” 

Kouga placed his hand over the jacket, and gently pushed it back toward Inuyasha. “You keep it. It might get cold in the bleachers.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Will you watch me race? I...I would like that.” 

“Yes.” Inuyasha answered quickly. “I’ll be watching.” 

An announcement over the loudspeaker told runners to prepare for the short sprint.

“I gotta—”

“—I know.” Inuyasha smiled.

Kouga nodded, returning the smile before stepping around Inuyasha to get ready. 

A warm, firm grip on his hand stopped him. Kouga turned back to Inuyasha, whose calloused, cigarette burned fingers held his fast. 

“Good luck, Kouga.” He said in a tone that sounded like he wanted desperately to say something else.

“Thanks.” He smiled widely, toothily; he gave Inuyasha’s hand one last squeeze before he released it. 

Buoyed by a renewed sense of confidence, Kouga lined up next to his competitors, fully prepared to put everything on the table. 

Everything around him was drowned out by the thought of Inuyasha sitting in the stands, watching him. And after he crossed the finish line, win, lose, or draw, Kouga could breathe easily trusting that Inuyasha would be there waiting for him. 

A voice from next to him cut through his musings. A Birds of Paradise runner sneered, “Good luck, _Ponytail_.”

He wouldn’t let Inuyasha down.

“You too.” He replied charitably. 

When the starting gun fired, Kouga’s body fell into the fluid rhythm his muscles knew so well. Each step was a push, each breath burned, and the other runners? Non-existent. 

The roar of the crowd mixed with the sound of blood thrumming in his ears, and all he could see was the finish line. 

Right before Kouga reached the finish line, he couldn’t have told you what place he was in. But deep down, he knew he did exactly what Inuyasha had said he would: he’d given it everything he had.

The cheers from the Wolves’ crowd didn’t reach Kouga as he caught his breath after coming to a stop. Like slamming back down to Earth, Kouga searched.

No one in front of him. He turned his head, and watched the rest of the runners coming to a stop behind him. His lungs greedily expanded and his eyes hungrily searched the crowd for a beloved set of white hair. It didn’t take long to find him.

Inuyasha stood on the sidelines, cheering exuberantly, wide smile _radiant_. Kouga let out a soft, yet wild laugh of joy when he saw the familiar patches of his letterman jacket decorating Inuyasha’s arms when he raised them in victory. 

Kouga’s gaze was locked on the vision of Inuyasha cheering for him, clad in his letterman. He never wanted to forget the sight.

The bodies of his teammates slammed into him, enveloping him in a group hug. Kouga gripped them ecstatically, reveling in the Wolves’ first gold medal win of the day. Kouga was passed around, given claps on the back, hugs, etc.; all of which he accepted and returned gratefully, but he was looking forward to one person in particular.

Ayame was one of the last to throw her arms around him, “Holy shit dude!”

Kouga laughed, “I know! And it won’t be our last gold medal of the day either.” He smirked and gave everyone a thumbs up.

Ayame gripped him even harder, “Dude, not just the gold medal. Did you see your freaking time?” Kouga’s blank expression answered the question for her. She clapped her hands on the sides of his face. “They said you broke the district record!”  
  


“A new record?” He asked breathlessly. She nodded as Ginta and Hakkaku jumped on his back, practically screaming in his ear.

“A new fucking record!” They cheered, and Kouga’s head swam. He was riding the high of his life, but he wanted to share it with Inuyasha.

Luckily, he didn’t have to look for long. Ginta took Kouga by the shoulders, and turned him around 180 degrees. 

And there Inuyasha was, pride shining in those amber eyes more brilliantly than any gold medal.   
  
He was a vision in Kouga’s jacket, and he couldn’t stop himself from placing his hands on Inuyasha’s shoulders; to make sure it was real. 

Inuyasha leapt into Kouga’s arms, wrapping his arms around him in a hug like his teammates had.   
  
High on his victories, all of them, Kouga returned the hug with vigor, pulling Inuyasha’s body flush against his. He buried his nose in Inuyasha’s hair and gripped him to his chest like he were a precious jewel.

“You did it.” Inuyasha whispered, snaking his arms around Kouga’s neck even tighter.

Kouga pulled back and moved his hands to the sides of Inuyasha’s face.

“Not yet.” He still had one last finish line to cross.

Inuyasha’s eyelids fluttered closed as Kouga crossed the little distance between them, and pressed his lips to his. The kiss was gentle, probing, asking—but quickly got deeper when Inuyasha enthusiastically returned the kiss. In an instant it was _Inuyasha’s_ arms holding Kouga like steel, caging him, claiming him. 

If there was any whooping from the track team, the students in the stadium, or their friends, Kouga didn’t hear it. He had just won the longest, steepest, wildest race of his life, and nothing could tear him from the prize. 

When they parted, they were both practically bursting with joy. Kouga ran his hands down Inuyasha’s arms. “I like you in my letter jacket.”

Inuyasha quirked the corner of his mouth coyly, “Good, ‘cause you’re not getting it back.” Kouga clasped Inuyasha’s hands in his.

They were suddenly assaulted on all sides by four very enthusiastic fans: Kagome leapt onto Inuyasha and gave him a big smacking kiss on the cheek and whispering something in his ear.   
  


Ayame clapped her hands on both of their shoulders and threw her head back with a dramatic, “ _Finally!_ ”   
  


Ginta and Hakkaku came up on both sides of Kouga, throwing their arms around Kouga’s neck; Hakkaku mussed Kouga’s hair and cried, “It’s about time! I totally knew something happened, but after that day in gym last week I wasn’t—” 

Ginta interrupted and offered Inuyasha a handshake, “Excuse my boyfriend, he’s stupid: I’m Ginta. Nice to finally meet you.” 

Inuyasha returned the handshake with an overwhelmed, but incandescently happy look.

The group of friends led the couple off the track, and while their excitement pulled Inuyasha’s and Kouga’s attention in different directions, their hands stayed firmly clasped the entire time. 

Kouga’s record-breaking win certainly hadn’t pulled the Wolves out in front of all the other schools, but the tension had evaporated in the Wolves’ camp. And when Kouga received his gold medal, the only one received by the team that day, his teammates cheered like they had just won at the Olympics. Even while various students, officials, and spectators alike came up to Kouga to give their congratulations, Inuyasha stood with him proudly wearing his jacket. 

When it came time for the team to pile into their cars and go out for a late night celebratory dinner at a local diner, Kouga declined a request from one of his teammates to catch a ride with him. 

“Sorry, that’s my boyfriend’s seat.” He paused and waited for that teammate to turn and ask someone else. In a moment of panic, he turned to Inuyasha, “Wait, shit: do you wanna be my boyfriend?”

Inuyasha gave him the most ridiculous look, before looping his arm around his waist. “ _Duh_. For a smart guy you can be kind of a dumb jock sometimes.” 

Kouga let out a sigh of relief, leading them to his car. “As long as I’m your dumb jock.”

Inuyasha snorted and rolled his eyes, but tucked his head into the crook of Kouga’s neck.

Later, when Kouga found himself seated at a table with a dozen or so of his teammates, cheerleaders, and friends with his arm slung around the back of his boyfriend’s chair, he found he couldn’t have been happier. Everytime Kouga looked down at Inuyasha, listening to and laughing along with their friends, he was positive he’d done some extraordinarily good deed to earn the good fortune he’d had.


End file.
